MR. MASQUE

About the Book

A man in a rocky marriage forges a special relationship with a paranormal painting, leading him to unspeakable acts.

Upon graduating high school, a boy visits his grandmother at her nursing home. The loving nature of his visit is slowly destroyed as his grandmother reveals the true nature of their rendezvous.

An alien awakes on an escape pod hurtling through deep space. Shackled with amnesia, he struggles to discover why his family has abandoned his home planet and where he is headed.

The messenger, Death, receives a dictum to search for "clients" in the most dubious of places. As the day unfolds, he struggles to complete his task, resulting in a startling climax questioning his true identity and the relationship he has with the mysterious subjects inhabiting the world of Mr. Masque.

About the Author

Niles Paley Engerman was a professional newspaper writer, then advertising copywriter, before obtaining his Master of Arts in Teaching degree and writing his first novel. Having found his impetus to write in his experiences as an adolescent, he chose to work as a substitute in a Chicago middle school for a year before obtaining his Masters degree. Now certified to teach middle school French, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Spanish, he has found a symbiotic relationship between writing and teaching. He uses the horror genre and his life experiences to convey existential themes to his readers. Still single, Niles Paley Engerman currently lives in Highland Park, IL, a Chicago suburb located along the shores of Lake Michigan.